Tel Aviv Court Drops Challenge to Shabbat Openings at Big Glilot

The Tel Aviv District Court ruled today, Monday, to strike a petition seeking enforcement of the Ramat Hasharon municipal bylaw against businesses operating on Shabbat at the Big Glilot complex. The ruling effectively allows the shopping center to remain open on the Jewish day of rest.

The petition was filed by the Hapoel HaMizrachi Workers' Organization and a local business owner, who asked the court to force the municipality to enforce the 1968 local bylaw banning businesses from opening on Shabbat. They argued that the law is still valid and binding, and that the local authority must act accordingly.

Ramat Hasharon Municipality responded that the old legislation is no longer relevant in the current era. According to the report, the court's decision, together with the municipality's position, leaves Big Glilot free to continue operating on Saturdays and is seen by opponents as disregarding the existing status quo and Jewish tradition.

The article says the immediate result is that Big Glilot will keep operating normally on Shabbat, while critics warn that the outcome creates a troubling precedent for enforcement of municipal bylaws and for the Jewish character of the state.